This Second Chance Life

Thomas Bunker found intermittent fasting when his body failed to recover fully from symptoms of Covid 19. However it wasn’t until he started to experience significant results and improvements that he began to realise he had the fasting process and the autophagy his body was going into to thank. He is now admin for a group on Facebook over 9k of members all of whom are using parts of or all of the Autophagy protocol he created. Listen to this episode to hear his story and the science! https://www.facebook.com/groups/recoverfromlongcovid/?ref=share

Hannah Linnea is otherwise known as @imhannahlinnea - Hannah - Body Imagery Mastery Coach on Instagram is a body image coach with a difference. Listen to this episode to hear her story and get to know why this is the lady who you should contact on the days that a mirror or your mind upsets you about the way you look. #bodydismorphia

‘Lyfebulb is a patient engagement platform with the mission of reducing the burden of living with chronic disease through the power of the patient.’ But what does that mean? In this interview with Dr Karin Hehenberger we unpack what it means to have a company bringing together the insights of a patient and caregivers living with chronic disease and industry and innovation who want to find solutions to improve It. www.lyfebulb.com Apologies for my voice in this episode, I’m struggling with fatigue and brain foggy ness at the moment. 🙄

Depression is talked about far more now, but still, a stigma seems to exist and Chris Duke the author of 'Lucy's Blue Day' is trying to change this. Through his fantastic books, (now there are three he had written) he is taking Lucy's story of mental health into schools around the country.  But how did he think of the story? What made him write it? How has he got it into print? And why is everyone raving about it? All will be revealed in this podcast episode. Chris is available to visit schools - (in non-pandemic times!) so do get in touch with him if you would like him to visit your school. For more information about 'Lucy's Blue Day' please check out the website, Amazon, Facebook and Instagram.

Can a positive STD (sexually transmitted disease) result, be a positive thing in your life?  Sam Franchell has taken a life-changing diagnosis and used it as the impetus to create an incredible podcast to help those dealing with a recent diagnosis of the HSV virus. Most of us may have heard about 'sexually transmitted disease's' but do you know what is stigma and what is truth? Did you know that you can become a carrier of the HSV virus from a family member kissing you or a cold sore? Even children can be carriers! How about how to live with and treat the symptoms? Not forgetting tips on how to disclose to a potential partner - Sam's got it all covered! Sam Franchell is the host and creator of 'Herpes: Positively Positive' a podcast about  HSV-1 and HSV-2 - otherwise known as Herpes. An incredibly informative tool for anyone who is faced with this diagnosis or wants to help someone who is. But more than that, Sam's story is one of hope. A young lady who wasn't given a choice about her condition, but who then went on to use her experience to help others. Sam's podcast can be found on Apple Podcasts and Spotify, and she is contactable through Instagram and Twitter  and please do check out her WEBSITE! In January, WHO estimated that 417 million people aged 15-49 years have HSV-2 infection, which causes genital herpes. Taken together, the estimates reveal that over half a billion people between the ages of 15-49 years have a genital infection caused by either HSV-1 or HSV-2. Article in the Atlantic about stigma. Refinery article about stigma.

Can you imagine the fear those words would put into you? Steven G Taibbi hasn't heard them just once, he has been told several times that he only has months to live! And yet this incredibly brave, intelligent and humble man has gone on to live a life rich with experiences and full of memories. How has he done it? In this episode, I talk candidly to Steven about his story, what it feels like to have an 'out of body experience', alongside how he approaches the medical world and his fitness and health tips for those of us post-transplant. You can find his book on Amazon, and Steven on Facebook and LinkedIn. Watch the incredible trailer for his book here - 

Every year sepsis kills more than cancer with 11 million global deaths a year. In this episode I was lucky enough to interview Gary Andrews who lost his wife to sepsis and yet had managed through the platform of social media to create a beautiful online sketchbook of his life with his two children as they live through the journey that is grief and loss. Gary is a successful artist, illustrator, cartoonist and actor who began his doodling on his first night alone after she passed away. Known as a ‘Doodle A Day’ he posts his pictures in his feeds (@GaryScribbler) Instagram and Twitter and they now have over 55K followers. Despite his unimaginable loss, Gary has done something incredibly positive through his art. He has created increased awareness about sepsis and also allowed others who are in a similar situation, bereaved or widowed to feel they are not alone. Through darkness he and his family are bringing light to the world through art. Simply magical. You can find out more about Gary on his website www.garyscribbler.co.uk and to read more about Sepsis www.nhs.uk/sepsis/

Lucinda is immune suppressed and vulnerable to infection so in these days of uncertainty & risk she is trying to stay safe while maintains her mental health. Join her on a dog walk to hear about how the disease is causing her anxiety but also emphasizing the blessing that is life on borrowed time. Lucinda is not medically trained and all thoughts are her own. Please note that she is not disregarding the advice of the NHS to stay at home and only open a window. She gets into the car immediately after leaving the house - drives to the headland and then walks early away from people. It’s important for her mental health that she gets fresh air and exercise and she takes every precaution when doing so. All rights reserved. Www.lucindaparkerroberts.com

How do you say, ‘thank you for saving my life’ when your organ donor is deceased & their family anonymous and far away? Sometimes it’s almost impossible to find the words in life & writing to your organ donors family who are left behind is incredibly hard. But in this episode Lucinda tries to explain why it’s such a crucial thing to do for both the recipient of the organ to do and why it may matter so much to receive the letter, alongside trying to provide helpful guidance on how to embark on easily one of the hardest bits of writing some of us will ever have to write. Recorded as one of the very first episodes follow Lucinda on her walk with her dogs as the seaside air gives her the courage to speak the truth about this important subject. You can find out more information about the podcast on Facebook, just search for ‘This Second Chance Life’. And for information on Lucinda please see her authors website www.lucindaparkerroberts.com - you can also follow her on Twitter and Instagram @thelulumagic

What is it like to be told at 17 you have an incurable autoimmune disease and by 30 you will need a new liver or you will die? In this episode, Lucinda tells the story of how she faced her disease head-on and challenged it to defeat her. For more information about this podcast please look on Facebook for ‘This Second Chance Life’ and to find out more about Lucinda and her journey please see her website www.lucindaparkerroberts.com